Black strength at the polls was manifest in the recent wins of Harold Washington in the Chicago Mayoral race and W. Wilson Goode in the Philadelphia Democratic mayoral primary.

CNN: From Protest To Politics

Markets also will be eyeing news reports on the strength of post-Thanksgiving Black Friday holiday sales for signs of how the economy is holding up, Gero said.

FORBES: Gold Market Expected To Focus On Greece, Fiscal Cliff, Fed Speakers Next Week

Teen retailers saw particular strength in November and on Black Friday, although it was, in many cases, on the heels of a low base from last year.

WSJ: Retailers November Sales Show Healthy Start to Holiday Season

Financial strength also helps when the positive black swan (golden swan?) occurs.

FORBES: Uncertainty and Risk Management: What to Do About Black Swans?

The Black and Ambers played well despite being well below strength, resting key players in readiness for Tuesday's much tougher home test against Llanelli.

BBC: Matt Mostyn

More shoppers were referred by social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube on Cyber Monday than Black Friday, 20% more, but the real strength of those networks was in allowing consumer sentiment to be measured.

FORBES: Social Media Loses Big With Holiday Shoppers

However, the re-release of his back catalogue on CD reminded the public of the strength of his work, and 1993's Black Tie, White Noise album saw him return to the spotlight.

BBC: NEWS | Entertainment | Bowie: Pop's most enduring star

At twenty, Heyward, who had been weakened by a bout of polio at eighteen, got a job as a customs worker among black stevedores on the Charleston waterfront and was awed by their strength.

NEWYORKER: A Man And A Woman

One way to minimise the cost of shareholder activism, says Bernard Black, at Stanford Law School, would be for institutions to put their strength behind initiatives that affect hundreds of companies, not just pick on a few.

ECONOMIST: Shareholder activism